Google Maps Android v1 API - Deprecated

Note: Version 1 of the Google Maps Android
API was officially deprecated on December 3rd, 2012. It is no longer possible
to create an API key, which is required to use the API; however, existing
keys will continue to work. Existing and new developers are encouraged to
use Google Maps Android API.

Overview

Version 1 of the Google Maps Android API includes a Maps external library,
com.google.android.maps. The classes of the Maps library offer
built-in downloading, rendering, and caching of Maps tiles, as well as a
variety of display options and controls.

The key class in the Maps library is MapView, a subclass of
ViewGroup in the Android standard library. A MapView displays a
map with data obtained from the Google Maps service. When the MapView has focus, it can
capture keypresses and touch gestures to pan and zoom the map automatically,
including handling network requests for additional maps tiles. It also provides
all of the UI elements necessary for users to control the map. Your application
can also use MapView class methods to control the MapView programmatically and
draw a number of Overlay types on top of the map.

In general, the MapView class provides a wrapper around the Google Maps API
that lets your application manipulate Google Maps data through class methods,
and it lets you work with Maps data as you would other types of Views.

The Maps external library is not part of the standard Android library, so it
may not be present on some compliant Android-powered devices. Similarly, the
Maps external library is not included in the standard Android library provided
in the SDK. The Google APIs add-on provides the Maps library to you so that you
can develop, build, and run maps-based applications in the Android SDK, with
full access to Google Maps data.

To use the classes of the Maps external library in your application, you
need to:

Install the Google APIs add-on, as described in the Installing
document.

Reference Documentation

The Javadoc reference for the Google Maps Android API v1 is available
for download

Setting up a Maps Project

Once you've installed the Google APIs add-on, you can add Maps capabilities
to any existing or new Android project. To give your application access to the
Maps library, all you have to do is to set the project's properties so that the
build tools can locate the Maps library in the Google APIs add-on. The process
for doing that depends on whether you are developing in Eclipse with the ADT
Plugin or developing using Ant.

Note that multiple versions of the Google APIs add-on are available,
each targeting a specific Android platform API Level. Select the version whose
API Level is appropriate for your application, based on the application's
android:minSdkVersion attribute, declared in the application's
manifest file.

Referencing the Maps Library from the Application's
Manifest File

To use the classes of the Maps external library in an application, you must
reference the library from the application's manifest file. Specifically, you
must add a <uses-library> element as a child of the
<application> element, with an android:name
attribute whose value is com.google.android.maps. Here's an
example:

The <uses-library> reference is required, because it
enables the build tools to link your application against the Maps external
library. It also ensures that the Android system will not install your
application on a device unless the required library is available.

Using the Maps Classes in Your Application

The Maps library provides a variety of classes that let you display and
manipulate Google Maps data in your application. To get started, first take
a look at what's available in the com.google.android.maps
package.

The key class in the library is MapView, a subclass of
ViewGroup in the Android standard library. The MapView class displays
maps data from the Google Maps service and handles all of the
interaction with the service. It includes all of the UI elements necessary
for the user to control the map and also provides methods that let
your application manipulate the map, draw overlays, and so on.

To use Maps in your application, extend the MapActivity class and then
create a layout that includes a MapView element.

Getting a Google Maps Android API v1 Key

Important: It is not possible to create
a new Key for the Google Maps Android v1 API; however, existing keys will
continue to work.

Signing Your Application with the Proper Certificate

The final step to enable the display of Maps data is to sign your application
with the proper certificate. The certificate you use to sign your application
must match the certificate that is associated with the API Key
in your MapView objects. For example:

If your MapView objects reference an API Key that you obtained by
registering the debug certificate, then you must sign your application with the
debug certificate.

If you want to sign your application for release, your MapView objects must
reference an API Key that you obtained by registering your release certificate.

The Maps service allows your MapView objects to download data only if they
identify themselves with an API Key that is registered to the application's
signer certificate. For this reason, remember that you must update the Maps API
Key referenced by your MapView objects whenever you change signing certificates.